'Amar, I dare you to go the Erudite library while all the Noses are studying and scream something obscene.'

We're playing Dare, in the middle of the night. Lauren is starting, with the already slightly drunk reasoning that she's the keeper of the alcohol. She's just dared Amar, and everyone is cheering loudly. If no one is drunk now, we all will be later.

I've never played Dare before, but everyone's heard about it. We all have to dare each other to do various, crazy things. The person who's been dared will either do their dare or die trying - I hope this is just one of Lauren's jokes - then dare the next person, who will do the same thing.

I look around and see the Abnegation transfer. Four, his name is? I know it isn't his real name. No one has a name like Four. I know it's because he has four fears. Which is absolutely amazing, completely unheard of by Dauntless standards. I wonder why he changed his name? I can't help thinking about it.
'Hey, you're a transfer right? Four?' I wave him over.

'Yeah,' he replies, walking slowly towards us. Suddenly he smiles mischievously. 'Nice first jump,' he says. Then he suddenly looks worried. I don't know why, it's not like I'm going to take offence. I guess this sort of thing wouldn't happen in Abnegation.

I laugh, remembering. 'Yeah, not my finest moment.' I still get teased about it, but everyone in Dauntless gets teased for some reason or other.

Shauna speaks up. 'Not like anyone else stepped up. I'm Shauna, by the way. Is it true you only had four fears?'

'Hence the name,' Four says.

I want to ask him what his fears are. But something tells me that that isn't a very good idea. Maybe it's the look on his face.

'Wow. Guess you were born Dauntless.' Shauna sounds just as amazed as I am.

Four doesn't reply. I break the slightly awkward silence by asking, 'How are your fights going?' The Dauntless-borns and transfers train separately. Lauren says it's because we're stronger than they are. Either way, I wish I could see how Four fights. If he's as good at fighting as he is in the fear landscape, he'd be a scary opponent.

'All right…as you can clearly tell.' Like most initiates, he's cut up and bruised. His lip is split and there's some swelling below his eye.

'Check it out.' I show him my biggest bruise. From Shauna, of all people. 'That's thanks to this girl over here.'

'He beat me,' adds Shauna. 'But I got in a good shot for once. I keep losing.'

Four looks mildly confused. 'It doesn't bother you that he hit you?'

Now it's Shauna who's looking confused. 'Why would it?'

'I don't know,' he replies. 'Because…you're a girl?'

'What, you think I can't take it just like any other initiate, just because I have girl parts?' She gestures to her chest.

Four blinks and flushes slightly. 'Sorry. I didn't mean it that way. I'm just not used to this, any of it.'

Shauna smiles. 'Sure, I get it,' and she isn't angry. 'But you should know that about Dauntless - girl, guy, whatever, it doesn't matter here. What matters is what you've got in your gut.'

Then Amar gets up in a dramatic pose, and we all leap out. Four stumbles on the jump out and crashes into me, then apologises. Amar smiles.

'Look at you, getting your train legs.' He hands Four the flask. 'Here, have a sip. You look like you need it.'

Four takes a mouthful without hesitating. He grimaces at the taste.

Amar embraces me in typical Dauntless fashion. 'Good job. I see you've met my young friend Ezekiel.'

'Just because my mom calls me that doesn't mean you have to.' I throw him off and turn to Four. 'Amar's grandparents were friends with my parents.'

'Were?' He's picked up on my use of the past tense.

'Well, my dad's dead, and so are the grandparents,' I say.

'What about your parents?' Four asks Amar, who shrugs.

'Died when I was young. Train accident. Very sad.' He smiles, almost sadly. 'And my grandparents took the jump after I became an official member of Dauntless.' Amar makes a careening gesture with one hand, almost like a dive, and I know he doesn't want to explain further. Four looks confused.

'The jump?'

'Oh, don't tell him while I'm here. I don't want to see the look on his face,' I say.

Amar ignores me. 'Elderly Dauntless sometimes take a flying leap into the unknown of the chasm when they hit a certain age. It's that or be factionless. And my grandpa was really sick. Cancer. Grandma didn't care to go on without him…'

Amar looks up at the sky.

'I'm sorry,' Four murmurs. I know he didn't know about the jump. None of the other factions know. They probably think Dauntless are so brutal no one makes it to eighty.

'At least this way, I got to say my good-byes,' Amar murmurs. 'Most of the time, death just comes whether you've said goodbye or not.'

I see the moon and stars and so much more reflected in Amar's gaze. I know that under all the layers of charm and layers of bravado, there are secret buried layers, and they're cold and sad.

Then he blinks, and it's gone.

'What about you?' I ask Four. 'You have parents?' We watch Amar jog to catch up with the rest of the group.

'One,' Four replies. 'My mother died a long time ago.' His eyes glaze with memories. Then he shakes his head a little.

'And your dad, is he okay with your choice?' I ask. I've never even heard of an Abnegation-Dauntless transfer. 'Visiting Day is coming up, you know.'

'No.' When Four replies, his voice sounds distant. Far away.

We reach the Erudite sector and stop talking, although I really want to ask Four about his dad.

'Hey, Noses!' Amar runs into the lobby. 'Check this out!'

Of course, everyone looks up, because you can't not look when there's a Dauntless in a study zone. You can't miss Dauntless.

Amar pulls his pants down and gives all the Noses a good view of his butt. Four laughs, and that sets all of us off. We all fall over laughing, partly at Amar and partly at the expression of the Noses in the lobby. Some of them run towards us, surprised that there are more of us. But they can't catch us, at the speed we're running. Dauntless are the only faction who openly encourage competitive running. Maybe Amity do, but that's just for fun. Everyone knows the Noses would rather spend all day in with a book.

By the time we reach the alley we're all exhausted and out of breath, but laughing. Four runs at my shoulder, laughing hard. Amar reaches the alley a few seconds behind us, holding the flask like it's a trophy. He throws it to Shauna. 'Young one. I dare you to scale the sculpture in front of the Upper Levels building.'

She catches the flask easily and laughs breathlessly. 'You got it.'

A/N: So, new chapter! What did you think? Thanks to anyone and everyone who has reviewed and faved and followed. Especially reviewed. Just one thing: there are a few people who have followed and faved but not reviewed. If you review without following, that is absolutely fine. But if you follow or fave without reviewing, it's essentially saying, 'I like this story and I'm expecting more, but I'm too lazy to give feedback.' I really, really hate it when people do that. Faves tell me you liked the story and follows tell me you want more. But reviews tell me exactly what you think of it. Moral of the story: if you follow or fave then please, please review as well.

Anyway, thanks if you did review. If you didn't, why not?! Reviews feed my plot bunnies: really cute, white, fluffy tailed fuzzy bunnies that run round my notebook. I doodle them in the margins. :D